Seven

Sasha’s POV.

I woke up very early on Sunday morning with a sense of expectation.

Although I was glad to have found a new toothbrush in the bathroom, I couldn’t say I felt refreshed since I was still in the same clothes.

Sitting on the bed with my back against the headboard, I didn’t feel as hopeless as I did the night before. 

The reason was the plan I had carefully made.

I knew it wasn’t a particularly water-tight plan but its power was in its simplicity. 

Mafia men like the devil my dad sold me to- ugh, that word- must be used to people attempting to run away from them. That meant they would be able to anticipate regular moves. My planned move was the total opposite of regular. 

The knocks on my door caught my attention.

“We leave in ten minutes,” Galileo informed, barely stepping into the room.

What’s the point in knocking when you still open the door at will?

“Okay,” I answered, folding my arms.

The door was shut and then locked again.

I chuckled, going over my plan in my head again.

Almost ten minutes later, Galileo knocked and showed up again.

“Time to go,” he called, the frown on his face deeper than the last time.

“Right,” I muttered, picking up my purse.

Once I got out, he poked his head into the room as if he was checking to see if I left something before shutting the door.

“Hey! This is no time to strut. Move!” he barked behind me.

I chuckled inwardly.

In a few more hours. Just a few.

I expected him to complain again since I didn’t significantly increase my pace. He didn’t.

The scene I was met with when the elevator doors opened wasn’t so surprising.

The devil, whose name I had somehow forgotten, was walking ahead of us with a lady. I concluded that she was the Flora that caused last night’s little altercation. Okay, maybe not little, since it involved shooting threats.

With his hands in both pockets of his pants, the lady seemed to have no option but to touch his shoulder casually as they talked. Even the blind could see that was trying so hard to clinch to his stone-cold self. Of course, he sees himself as a catch. 

By the way, who, in her right senses, would desperately want to be seen as the devil’s woman?

“I was beginning to think you had a different flight booked for yourself to get home, Galileo,” the devil spoke barely after my third step from the elevator.

Then he turned around and the three men in front of him did the same.

The three guys were dressed in black suits but only the one in the middle wore a navy blue shirt, the two others wore white shirts like Galileo. He was also the only one who sported a thin scar that ran from his cheek to the corner of his lips.

His face chin appeared even more chiseled with the tight frown he wore.

Aside from the fact that he stood tall among his men, there was nothing remarkable about his look. It was the same as the day before. Black suit, black shirt, black pants, black shoes. 

The lady was nothing like I expected. Her dark hair framed both sides of her face. She looked just like a movie star in a purple silk dress that showed a bit too much cleavage.

Wow.

“Sorry, boss. She couldn’t walk fast enough,” Galileo explained.

“And you couldn’t shoot her leg to motivate her?” 

My heart missed a beat there.

“Didn’t want to mess with your good.”

“Hm.”

He turned back around and didn’t stop again until we’d all walked out of the reception.

“See you later, Flora.”

“I hope you come to Florence soon, Lorenzo. I’ll miss you a great deal,” she purred, her right hand sliding down his chest.

His response was a jerky nod.

She must be several inches taller than me, seeing as her heels weren’t higher than mine and she only had to stretch a bit to drop a kiss to his jaw.

Then she turned around and sauntered ahead of the two black cars waiting at the foot of the stairs.

And, just like that, she was gone.

The devil went towards the car at the back as Galileo instructed one of the three men, “Luiz, you’re riding with us. She’ll replace you.”

“No, I won’t let my commodity out of my sight,” the devil stated, turning partially to face Galileo.

“Boss, you know you can trust…” scar-face started before the devil cut him short.

“I know. And I said no. Got any questions?”

“No, boss,” they chorused.

Well, that works for me.

My eyes enlarged in surprise when the devil disappeared into the back seat of the car.

The thought of sitting beside him made me want to bite something. Or maybe someone.

“What are you waiting for?” Galileo asked, forcing me to engage my legs in a march to hell.

Immediately my butt touched the cool leather and Galileo shut the door, I felt choked.

I hadn’t even looked in the devil’s direction and his presence already seemed to engulf me. 

But would that deter me from my plan?

Hell no!

I looked out the window as we moved onto the silent street, trying to see the best ways to state my innocent request.

Here goes.

“I need to go to New York,” I blurted out.

The devil looked straight ahead for a second before his neck slowly turned in my direction.

“To pack my things. I need to also inform my boss properly that I’ve relocated to Italy.”

His steady gaze seemed to be asking a silent question so I went on.

“Then I can fly back to Italy tomorrow. It’s goodbye to New York.”

Then I swallowed, my gaze slipping from his as I waited.

My plan was perfect. I’d fly to New York, explain my situation to Julia and we’d figure out the most remote place to hide away. 

When Lorenzo and his men eventually come to New York to look for me, I’d be long gone. They’d be left with my dad- and they could do whatever they wanted to him, it was all his fault in the first place.

The devil opened his mouth like he wanted to say something but he shut it again.

I was more than ready for his response.

If he asked why I couldn’t email my boss, I’d tell him that my boss is a traditional man and his Detective cousin was always at his beck and call if any staff member annoyed him. If the Mafia avoided anything, it was the police.

Even if he said the things in my apartment were replaceable, I would-

“No.”

Did I imagine it?

“What?” I questioned, my voice merely above a whisper.

“You heard me.”

And then his face was turned away from me.

Of all the responses and arguments I had expected, he gave me just one word.

No space for questions. 

I was angry and disappointed.

I should have phrased it differently.

I sighed.

On to my second plan, then. It mustn’t fail. There’s no other choice.